Actually, thanks to a little bit of Top Gear Maths, we think the XL-1 could be one of the worst offenders for in the go-for-your-dough stakes. 74bhp for nearly 100 grand makes it worse bang-for-buck value than a Bugatti Veyron, or even a Boeing 747. But better, at least, than a horse.

Don't believe us? Check out our spectacular, scattergun examples of good, and bad, bang-for-buck contenders over the following pages, and tell us: what high-price, low-power offenders have we missed?